12.17.2008

A Place at the Table

Gee, i'm sure glad Obama has chosen one of the architects of the homophobe-industrial-complex to deliver the prayer at his inauguration. Happy and proud indeed. CHECK IT OUT HERE.

2 comments:

Will said...

The following speaks for itself. I posted it this afternoon on the site specifically set up to contact Barack Obama with comments on his soon-to-be Presidency. The URL, should you wish to add your own comment, is: http://change.gov/page/content/contact/


Dear Mr. President-elect:
I am writing out of feelings of extreme disappointment, concern and betrayal over the invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to be a highly visible and approved voice at your inauguration.

I voted enthusiastically for you and co-hosted an event in support of your election to the Presidency, which I felt was essential to returning this country to sane and responsible government. As a legally married (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) gay man, I understood that you do not support gay marriage but you did not seem to be overtly homophobic and, in fact, appeared to support gay rights in general. I understand completely that one can be against gay marriage and NOT be a hate-monger.

However, Reverend Rick Warren IS a hate-monger and his very recent comments informing me that my marriage is down there with incest, pedophilia and polygamy are a gut punch insult of a kind I voted for you to end forever. I have read and tried to accept your public comments this morning that we must have inclusion and dialog again in this country, and I couldn't agree more. BUT, are you inviting the Klan to march in your Inaugural Parade?--the Neo-Nazi skinheads?--Aryan Nation? I thought not.

However, Reverend Warren's presence at the lectern on January 20th reinforces the sad truth with which gay men and lesbians still live in the United States: that we are the last minority it is not only acceptable, but perhaps even respectable, to hate and discriminate against.

I must respectfully but urgently recommend that the invitation to Reverend Warren be withdrawn and that your long hoped-for Inauguration will not be tainted by bigotry and anti-gay rhetoric.

William A. F______
Faculty of Music and Theater Arts (retired)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sam said...

Well done, Will. Another friend said to me earlier today "Sam, this is what reaching out looks like." In my mind, as you eloquently state, "reaching out" would not be tolerated were it toward a bigot of any other stripe.

We need to wield our collective power more effectively. I've had enough with words and the power of the pen, it's time for the sword. We need action.

Fight the H8 in Your State